I now have a (very) rough idea of what Katrina survivors went through

[Tab]

We just got our power on from the ice storm from last week. Our water is still erratic. We live in New England, and some nights it was down to 10 above zero, and a weird things about houses is that they're just as good keeping the cold in as they are at keeping the warmth in.

For various logistical reasons, it wasn't possible to move - e.g.: my wife had to work, I had local daily obligations, and we have five dogs, and there wasn't a local hotel that wasn't fully booked anyway.

So you do what you can. There's been trees down everywhere - some roads they're literally down every two feet - you can drive a mile and see nothing but felled branches on every inch of the road, assuming the road is even open (which many weren't initially).

After the first few days or so I made a resource run - batteries, water, etc. The water is the worst part - no water means you can't flush your toilet, and since I have colon cancer it means that when I have to go, I have to go - no luxury of driving to the nearest McDonalds or anything. So that's actually a health hazard, so I ended up buying a number of 5-gallon cooler-sized jugs of water so I could pour it into the tank so we could flush. That gets kinda pricey after a while.

And that's just flushing. Forget any hot showers for days. I could cook on my outdoor gas grill, but there are only so many things you can cook, and stores weren't stocking meat because it would spoil.

My basement flooded because the sump pump doesn't work without electricity, and so it can't drain the groundwater. I ventured into the basement for batteries one evening and found myself standing in water (much to the chagrin of my socks) and we have all kinds of quasi-valuable stuff on the floor on the basement, so who knows what's trashed and what's not - I'll try to go down later today. By quasi-valuable, I mean valuable to us, but nothing I could really put an insurance claim on.

We have downed trees, including one against the house, but nothing that can't wait a few days. I did manage to score one of the few remaining packages of highly coveted D-size batteries in southern New Hampshire - not an easy task. I ended up rigging my car as a generator so I could do things like recharge my cellphone or laptop (albeit no Internet service).

We didn't physically lose the house, and that's good, but I got a taste of what it's like to live in the freezing cold for days on end with no power or water, and if I extrapolate that out to months for Katrina (or other) survivors, budgeting in the loss of home, it's easy to see how miserable it can be.

I would say the worst is the lack of water, not to drink, but to flush. Physical possessions are destroyed, but those are replaceable (theortically - some not really). No one in town who lived in my area did any better. Restaurants with generators were hugely popular, and you'd be surprised how many people line up outside Dunkin Donuts or Burger King when they have to. Stores have plenty of AAA and AA batteries, but you have to work hard to find a C or, god help you, a D. I'm good enough electrically to wire up solutions around it, but it's hard to do wiring in the dark.

And don't even ask my what I look like - after a week with no shower or shaving - well, I don't even want to go there. And things like failure to do laundry catch up with you too, after enough days.

The Red Cross had a local shelter set up, but the person I talked to directed me to the wrong place - on the phone she might have been in Omaha, for all I know - and so a lot of people were directed to shelters that didn't exist (the police confirmed this when I called the next day to see where the shelter really was, figuring they'd know).

Infants or elderly can easily die in this situation and cold. I do have a compromised immune system, due to treatments, so I have to be careful too.

Given how we were without water, I don't even want to venture a guess what it would be like for months - sewage wise.

And of course, I couldn't log onto DU. That was the worst. Okay, not really (nothing against DU).

If we had less resources than we do - any many have less (and many others have more) - it would have been worse still. Forgetting the cold, I don't want to even imagine going through Katrina. Abandoning the home altogther almost might have been easier. Sometimes it's not an easy option though.

Anyway, in the end we're still in one piece.

Best to all.

- Tab

[Skittles]

1. I think the difference with Katrina is

they lost EVERYTHING - their home, their possessions, their neighborhood, their church, their school, their job, ANY sense of stability - and I know what that is like

[bigscott]

2. God Bless You Tab

I am in CT and was only without power overnight - and with a wood stove was not uncomfortable. Good luck with your "recovery" and i hope you are back on your feet soon.

peace

S

[kimm1]

3. how are you doing now

with everything? I'm in CT also and we just got lots and lots of rain. Ice storms are just the worst. Not hurricane bad but I can certainly see the glimpse of what it may have seemed like.

[dysfunctional press]

4. instead of pouring the water into the toilet tank to flush- just pour the water into the bowl itself

until it flushes itself- you'd probably use less water, and it's one less step.

also- although it's too late for this time, there are sump pumps that have battery back-up systems- that might be a good investment for the future...

take care of yourself, and good-luck, healthwise- i know what it's like to have a compromised immune system.

[midnight]

5. It is good to hear that you are still in your home and moving towards

recovery. I can't even imagine the mess and inconvience.

[hermetic]

6. Good to hear from you

Thanks for sharing your story. What a terrible experience and I'm glad you guys are okay.

Once you get back to "normal" you might want to get an inverter and battery to run your sump pump when the power goes out.

Best of luck with the cleanup.

[eilen]

12. We have a battery back up sump

but it runs out after 3 days I think.

Ice storms happen around here too (upstate ny). We had one some years ago but the North Country had it worse. I keep a couple of kerosene lamps now but should be better prepared with some extra wood stored in the garage for the fireplace and our water jugs should be refilled, a supply of batteries for the radio, more canned food and a bottle of scotch.

[ravencalling]

7. Been in an ice storm

Similar experience. Three days with no power, but I was lucky. Many of my friends and associates were without power for weeks and I knew more than one that had roofs destroyed by trees, and had to stay in dangerous conditions because they didn't have anywhere to go.

Hardest part was staying warm. My fireplace now doesn't work, but then I used it to keep the house warm, and had blankets over hallways and windows. We had a radio to stay tuned to local news but that was about it.

I totally hear you regarding showers, and just keeping clean.

But for three days for me, it was a mild experience compared to my friends and associates, some who spent weeks or waited months to get dangerous trees removed from their property.

Thanks for reminding me about necessities. We barely missed and ice storm last night.

People DO need to think about Katrina. Major disaster hits your area do you really think that there will be help coming for you? In days? Weeks? LOL. People didn't wake up after Katrina hit. I guess it's human nature that when something happens to someone else you may be horrified, and empathetic, but do you really understand that that could be you? I think most of us haven't really allowed that to sink in and we should. We need to be prepared.

[eShirl]

8. we were lucky this time, but the ice storm of '98 got us

We were lucky our power came back after 5 days. After the first 2 it seemed like it was never going to come back again, when it sunk in how far and wide everything was frozen. We spent our days (and nights) in bed under blankets, a sleeping bag, and two cats. We were the only ones left in the apartment building, but the lady with the only gas stove gave us her key before she left so we could cook HOI FOOD (cold food is very unappealing when you're chilled to the bone), and I'd fill my thermos with hot water from her tea kettle a few times a day. We lived just a couple blocks from a 7-11 that got power back right away; it was on the same line as a small local hospital which got priority from the electric company's linemen (& women).

My inlaws lived in their propane-heated garage/workshop for a week and a half. The water in their toilet froze and split it in half. My parents were all set with a wood cookstove in the kitchen, big old kerosene lamps, and another, bigger woodstove in the basement that passively pre-heats water for their electric water heater and helps bring up the temperature for the whole house.

[eShirl]

9. are you getting mail delivered? do you need anything we could mail you?

[Fumesucker]

10. We had a major ice storm in Atlanta in 1973

It was a great deal like what you describe except not quite so cold, only down in the upper twenties. We had no power for a week.

Ever since then I've kept a small generator and fuel with a stabilizer in it as part of my survival gear and in 1993 we had another major winter storm that took out our power for a week, the generator saved us a great deal of discomfort and inconvenience that time.

For future reference, if you have a battery backup for your computer most of them work from a 12 volt internal battery and will run just fine from a car battery, all you have to do is extend the battery leads.

You're right, it is amazing how a well insulated house will keep the cold in..

[ben_thayer]

11. I know what you mean about water!

Our well failed last August, and we were without running water for 2 weeks. We were very lucky, because we had a 5000 gallon swimming pool out back, and a public campground only a mile away where we could fill water jugs for free. With my wife and 2 daughters, I was having to lug 5 gallon buckets from the pool for flushing several times a day, and filling 4-6 jugs a day for cooking/drinking water every evening at the campground. Having the new well drilled wiped out our $5000.00 emergency fund, but hey, that's what it was for. Of course it could have been MUCH worse, (As in your case and others) but it sure gives you an appreciation for something most of us take for granted!

[raccoon]

13. We had an ice storm in '05. Many people lost power for days. I was lucky,

I only lost it for about 24 hours.

Glad you're all in one piece, Tab! :hi: :hug:

[MadinMo]

14. Glad to hear you are coping Tab. I know it is rough.

Having lived through the Missouri ice storm of last December I totally understand about the water situation. With no electricity there is no pump on the well. Since that time we have filled every two liter bottle that has come into our house with water and have them stashed for emergencies.

We were able to haul water from a nearby creek to do the flushing. But no bathing was truly awful. I remembered reading that the troops in Iraq begged for baby wipes for bathing so on our first trip to town for supplies, I bought a box and instructed the family to "bathe" with the wipes. It was only marginally satisfactory, but helped with our morale a little bit.

Since the 2007 ice storm, MrMadinMo had an electrician rig up a way for us to run our water pump with our generator for short periods of time (showers, flushing). I don't understand the mechanics of it, but it was money well spent for peace of mind.

To anyone suffering through a similar situation, I wish you well. It truly does make you realize that being as self sufficient in as many ways as possible is a good goal.

[MedleyMisty]

15. A few years ago our power was out for a week after an ice storm.

It wasn't some horrible terrible life-changing event. We just took cold showers, ate out a lot, and slept with a cat scratching post in the bed to make room for the cats under the covers.

Granted, we had water even if it was ice cold and I can see how that would make a rather large difference.

[lse7581011]

16. We are Still Without

in southern Maine with no estimated time of restoration! It's really getting sort of scary!

[Tab]

17. UPDATE

Power on, but apparently our water will be down for an unspecified amount of time - it's town water (all my other houses have always had wells - I hate town water). I was premature in saying it was up, and optimistic in saying it was erratic - it's less than erratic - it's off more than on.

I haven't ventured into the basement to assess the damage. I had someone over to estimate the tree against the house - I originally figured I could just take it down myself with a chain saw, but the more I looked at it, the more dubious I was that I wouldn't trash something else, and the person who looked at it agreed - we'll need some serious equipment to get it down safely.

My last couple of houses, further north, actually, we had woodstoves and other resources, but down here we're in some kind of belt that doesn't get as much snow (colder up north - all winter precipitation is usually snow) or further south (most precipitation is rain) but here we get ice and sleet. I may well get a generator, as we've lost more power here in the 3 years than in my 40+ years of living in the mountain areas. I do have a battery backup for the computers and Internet router, but that doesn't hold us for days on end.

No school for the kids, many people still out of power, and a winter storm predicted for tonight.

There's not much national guard around because, gosh darn, they're all in frickin' Iraq for Mr. "size 10" Bush. Not their fault, but the fault of the people who put them there. I think they'd much rather be here helping out in an ice storm instead of being in some far-off desert getting their ass shot off. But I digress.

Anyway, I've heard from some people that they may not have power until the first of the year (!). As far as I know it may be a week before we have water consistently.

A quick comment on people - everyone is extremely nice and generous and patient, except when driving. I've seen more awful and/or dangerous driving than ever before, but aside from that, everyone's helping everyone else.